


The Jensen-Alvarez Family

by ulrikavolf16



Category: The Losers (2010), The Losers - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, but MOSTLY FLUFF AND HAPPY, except for this one little part, happiness all over the place, if they had a kid meme, no one dies, tiny bit, tiny bit of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-03-11 07:05:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3318476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ulrikavolf16/pseuds/ulrikavolf16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was all started by a "If They Had a Kid..." meme on tumblr. So this is my headcanon for Jake and Cougar's children.</p><p>More submissions answered. More headcannon provided.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If They Had Kids...

 

_**If They Had A Kid... (Meme)** _

**Jake Jensen and Carlos “Cougar” Alvarez (The Losers)**

So it is my personal headcanon that Jake and Cougar do have children, two to be exact, and they are both biologically  _their_ children. How? Well, with much discussion and deep soul searching, Jake’s sister agreed to be their surrogate. And since (in my headcanon) Jake and his sister are genetically identical except for the XX/XY chromosome, any children that are genetically Jensen’s sister/Cougar, they are also genetically Jake/Cougar’s. 

Also, the way I am writing them is that Ramón is about 17, and Isa is about 8

* * *

 

**Ramón Anthony Jensen-Alvarez**

**Nickname:** Raja (because of his initials)

**Gender:** Male

**General appearance:** Ramón mostly looks like Cougar. Dark brown curly hair, a bit of an angular face, lean and lithe. He’s practically a mini-Cougar, expect that he has blue eyes with a hazel ring around the iris. Ramón did inherit some of Jake’s visual issues, so he needs corrective lenses (he chose contacts). He is also getting to the point where he is almost taller than Cougar. 

**Personality:** Ramón is surprisingly normal and well adjusted compared to his parents. He’s not overly loud or super quiet. Ramón likes to be social but also appreciates his alone time. He reads, plays sports (soccer is his favorite because that is the sport both his fathers loved), listens to music, watches movies, loiters with his friends at the mall. He’s like that one guy in high school who is popular with everyone without even trying.

**Special Talents:** Ramón is wicked smart like Jensen. Not that I am saying that Cougar isnt smart, but like Jensen, this kid is insanely smart. Doesn’t make a big deal about it though. 

**Who they like better:** He doesnt really have a favorite. Though, as a teenager, he sometimes prefers to go to Cougar with his problems first because Cougar is really good at listening.

**Who they take after more:** Both. 

**Personal headcanon** : While Ramón is an all around good guy, he does have an affinity for trouble. Nothing major, just small things. Like, cutting curfew, or fighting (usually for righteous reasons), swearing, sarcasm, extensive eye rolling action. His fathers sometimes exasperate him. Jake is loud and often embarrassingly so, and Cougar sometimes just, gets weird.

_'My dad will sometimes gets, like, hover-y. He checks on us, me and Isa, like, forty times in a single hour. Sometimes just looking in, sometimes patting our heads or brushing past us, and sometimes just watching us like a freakin' hawk from the kitchen. And if I go out he wants to know exactly what we are doing, where I'm going, who I'm going out with, what time I'll be home, do I have my phone, do I have my knife, who's driving- its lightening-round-twenty-questions-final-jeopardy when he's like this. Its like, he's afraid we're going to disappear or something.'_

Ramón also likes to work on cars (motorcycles, which he really wants one) with his Uncle Pooch and cousin Puppy (Jake’s nickname for Pooch’s son that got stuck). It is working with his hands and his brain, and he loves it.

He also calls both Jake and Cougar ‘ _dad_ ’, but you can usually tell which he is calling for by the volume at which it is said. Loudly? Jensen. At normal decibels? Cougar.

* * *

**Isabel Helen Marìa Jensen-Alvarez**

**Nickname** : 'Isa' or 'Issy'

**Gender** : Female

**General Appearance** : Isa looks more like Jake than Cougar. While her skin tone is darker than Jake’s, it is the happy medium between her two fathers. She had brown blonde hair, which she likes to keep long like Papá’s (Cougar’s), and Cougar’s brown eyes. She has Jake’s more rounder facial structure. 

**Personality** : Isa is definitely more like Jake. She is bubbly and active. Wants to be friends with everyone and tries her darn-dest to do so. Usually it turns out for the better because she’s the best to play with, but some kids just dont tune well with her charisma. She will also tell it like it is, and often what it is not because she is a talker. Being the only girl in a house full of guys, she doesnt take bullsh*t from anyone, even as an eight year old. She’s on the road to becoming one awesome bad ass chick. 

**Special Talents** :  Isa is also wicked smart. But she is also has a huge imagination and is super creative. She is an excellent story teller, just like her Papá (a secret talent Cougar has is creating stories and story telling). 

  **Who they like better** :  Isa is totally Jake’s little girl. She has him wrapped around her finger (within reason) just like his niece did/does. But she loves both of her fathers, and her brother, more than anything. 

  **Who they take after more** : Jake. But sometimes she can get serious and seem like she has an old soul. In these moments she gets quiet and thoughtful, choosing her words carefully. In those moments, she is so much like Cougar.

  **Personal Headcanon** : Ramón used to call her “Little Issy” instead of little sister (sister -> sis -> sissy -> issy) when she was born, and Issy stuck as her nickname. 

For her, Cougar is ‘ _Papá_ ' and Jake is ' _Dad_ ' or ' _Daddy_ ' or ' _Padré_ ’

 


	2. The Rides, The Family, Career Choices, Free Time, Home Defense, and Pets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, as I mentioned before in comment, if I got bored at work I might continue this story-line idea. Well.... I got bored at work.
> 
> None of this is really structured. This is all just statement of headcanon of the Jensen-Alvarez family. 
> 
> Very fluffy, very domestic, mind numbing-ly adorable and sugar coma inducing sweet.

**The Rides**

Jake and Carlos do have a minivan. It is blue-silver colored, seats seven comfortably, two captain seats, storage under the floor, and one of those drop down in car tv screens for the back. They got it for moving teams around, carpooling, and for moving The Family around. 

They have a second car, a modest four door sedan, slate gray. This is the car that Carlos uses the most for driving to and from work. 

Now, I'm not saying that they dont both have fun stuff in the garage. 

Carlos has a classic Chevy Camero, red, that he pulls out of the garage for special occasions, and when the weather is good (i.e. late Spring - early Fall)

And they both have motorcycles. Two classic Harley-Davidson replicas (look like the old model, but recently built with new materials). The bikes were ridden more often before the kids were born. Fun story, Jake originally wanted a Kawasaki Ninja in neon green. But Carlos called it a 'crotch rocket' and vetoed it. 

* * *

 

**The Family**

"The Family" is a proper name that Jake came up with to encompass the family that they had created. The Family includes:

  1. The Jensen-Alvarez family: Jake, Carlos, Ramón, and Isa
  2. The Porteous family: Pooch, Jolene, and Puppy
  3. The Jensen family: Jensen's sister (I dont have a headcanon on her name yet) and Bethy (Jensen's niece)



After Max, the whole Family moved together, settling in the same city. They dont all live in the same house, but they live close enough together to have their kids play and grow up together, carpool, and go to the same school. If the kids wanted to go hang out with their cousin, all they had to do was tell their parent and then run down the block (which they usually did without shoes in the summer).

They are all very close. Every week they have some kind of gathering, whether it be dinner at one of the houses, or an impromptu movie night.

Holidays are usually held at Jake and Carlos' house, because it is the largest of the three.

* * *

 

**Career Choices**

Jake's career choice is pretty obvious. He mostly works from home as a cyber security specialist. Its his job to hack into a company's system, and then return to them with a review of their security's performance, and with suggestions on how to solve weaknesses found. In addition to that, he also does programming, game design, and some hacking just for fun.

Sometimes Jake will get absorbed in how work, losing time and forgetting to eat or sleep, just like he used to. Carlos discovered a method of getting Jake away from his computer that works better than physically removing him by force. He will have Isa, (Ramón when he was small enough), go and climb into Jake's lap, demanding his attention or just cuddling up for a nap. It usually distracts Jake enough so that Carlos is able to pull him away from the computer. 

Carlos' career choice might be a surprise to some, not so much to others. Carlos works at the local library. He likes the calm and quiet that the library provides. Financially, Jake's job (and past hacking hauls) provide enough for their family, but Carlos still wanted to work. He is not one for unnecessary idleness.

* * *

 

**Free Time**

Both are domestic dads. Jensen is the one who is home the most consistently.

In their free time, both mentor at risk youths. Jake working closely with CPS (Child Protective Services) to help children who are suffering from some kind of trouble at home.

Carlos and Jake also coach Isa's 8 and Under Soccer Team. Well, Carlos coaches while Jake organizes the soccer moms. They started coaching when Ramón started playing in his peewee Kindergarten Intramural soccer program. 

Isa's most recent team name is the 'Crab Apples', and their colors are green and white. 

* * *

 

**Home Defense**

Carlos and Jake do keep a few guns in the house, but they are under lock and key. There are two gun lock boxes in the master bedroom, one in the downstairs living room on top of a bookcase, and a gun locker in the basement. He keeps his rifle down there. Every so often they will go to the range.

Ramón was taught how to use guns, every type in the house in fact, and has his own Firearms License, but he does not have a gun of his own. He was taught how to break down, clean, fire, wield, and respect the power and dangers of guns. 

Isa is too young to start learning, but they plan on teaching her when she is older.

Carlos and Jake made sure that Ramón and Isa, Bethy, and Puppy all knew self defense and survival skills. They also keep them sharp and in shape. Being hot dads is just a bonus.

Every so often, when Jake or Carlos get a little too wound up, they will go to the gym and spar hand-to-hand combat. 

* * *

 

**Pets**

Isa has a red eyed crocodile skink as her own pet. Its name is Princess Scaly Tail, but just Princess for short. It is a boy skink, and Isa knows this, but she is adamant that _"he wants to be called Princess and wishes you to respect his life decisions."_ Her words. 

They do have a family salt water fish tank that house a number of colorful fish. Jake has named each and every one of them.

And Ramón has a cat. They never went out and got a cat. The cat just followed Ramón home and adopted them. They don't know what breed it is. It sort of looks like a brown American Shorthair, but its stripes look more like a Tabby. It is an outdoor/indoor cat, always finding a way in and out of the house despite the fact that they dont have a cat door. Ever since adopting the Jensen-Alvarez family, the farthest it goes is out into the back or front yard. After it became apparent that the cat wouldn't leave, Jake and Carlos made sure to take it to the vet to get its shots, and got it a collar and an ID chip. Ramón was very inventive with the cat's name. It is 'Gato'. Spanish for ' _cat_ '.

* * *

 


	3. Pets [continued], Age Distribution, and Julie's Pregnancies

**Pets (Continued)**

As I mentioned before, the Jensen-Alvarez Family has a family salt water fish tank, and that Jake had a name for every single fish. Here are the names:

  1. Clarence
  2. Fiona
  3. Ducky
  4. Alan
  5. Hilda
  6. George
  7. Buzz Kill
  8. Buzz Lightyear
  9. Forrest Gump
  10. Domina
  11. Namor
  12. Kyle
  13. Michelle
  14. Tyrone
  15. Potato
  16. Peacock
  17. Andronicus, Lord of the Sand Castle
  18. Steve
  19. Leeloo
  20. Juan
  21. Francheska
  22. Annalise
  23. Gorgon the Many Finned
  24. Captain Ding Dong
  25. Dumb Butt
  26. High Commander Lawrence of the Arabian Sea
  27. Spork
  28. Liam
  29. Lucia
  30. San Angél
  31. 43
  32. Free Willy
  33. Gernhelm the Scarred
  34. Piquette
  35. Papageno
  36. Monchère 
  37. Spartacus, God of the Arena
  38. Oliver
  39. Kissy Face
  40. Tough Guy
  41. Man About Town
  42. Water Wings
  43. Pete



Now, not all of these fish are currently residing in the Jensen-Alvarez Aquarium, this is just the collection of all the names over the years. There are currently 18 in the tank. Gato has only ever eaten one of the fish. Poor, poor, Clarence.

* * *

 

**Age Distribution**

Just as a heads up, I always imagined Jensen's sister (Julie, I have decided on Julie) had Bethy at a pretty young age, like at 18. The ages of the kids go like this.

Bethy is 8 years older than Puppy. Puppy is 1 year older than Ramón. And Ramón is 9 years older than Isa. 

So at this point in time...

Bethy is 27 (Born when Julie was 18), Puppy is 18, Ramón is 17 (Born when Julie was 27), and Isa is 8 (Born when Julie was 36).

Isa is the last baby that Julie had.

* * *

 

**Julie's Pregnancies**

Technically, since Julie was the one to give birth to them, Ramón and Isa are Bethy's half-siblings. But even as Julie was pregnant with them, she, Jake, and Carlos were honest with Bethy.

_"Uncle Jake and Tío Cougar are boys, so they cant have babies. But they really wanted one. So they asked very nicely if I would have their baby for them. So this baby in here, is going to be your little cousin."_

They explained how in virto fertilization worked, or at least as much as they could tell a 9 year old. And Bethy seemed pretty cool with it. She even bragged about it at school, that her mommy was going to have her cousin. Which got a couple of her teachers confused and concerned (I'm pretty sure that Bethy didnt explain that the baby was "technically" her mother's and Tío Cougar's, not Julie and Jake's. So the teachers thought some freaky incest thing was going on). They even called a Parent-Teacher Conference with Julie about it. Jake and Carlos accompanied her and straightened it all out. 

When Julie agreed to be their surrogate, Jake and Carlos promised to be there and support her every step of the way. And they did. At least one of them would go to every doctor's appointment. They made sure that she had everything she needed. As her pregnancy progressed, they would stay over at her house, taking care of the cooking and cleaning. They watched Bethy when she couldn't, and even made the midnight runs to fulfill Julie's cravings. There were many trips for chocolate/vanilla swirl soft serve ice cream and french fries at 2 am in the morning. 

Ramón came perfectly on time. Both Jake and Cougar were home with Julie when contractions started at about 7:45 in the morning. Both of them were in the delivery room with her.

_"Ok, I can only have one of you in here." said the doctor, looking at the two men skeptically._

_"No. Both." said Carlos. "I am the father."_

_"And I am the genetically identical twin brother to the birth mother, and the second father." said Jake, not letting go of Julie's hand._

_"Wait, what? Look-"_

_"They are both staying DAMNIT! Now shut up and get me my epidural!!" shouted Julie._

Which was enough to scare the doctor into letting it slide.

Ramón was born around noon that day. There was enough recovery time afterward for Jake to go pick up Bethy from school and bring her to the hospital to meet her new baby cousin.

Isa's birth was a little more complicated, but not disastrously so. She came a week early, and unfortunately for Julie, they were not able to give her an epidural. Jake swore that Julie broke his hand, squeezing it so tight. When Isa came into the world, she wasn't breathing at first. Her umbilical cord had somehow managed to wrap itself around her neck. But the doctors were able to free her and clear her airways. Carlos still counts the sound of her crying for the first time as one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Afterward, with some time spent with an oxygen mask, she was pronounced perfectly healthy. They did keep her overnight for observation, just to make sure.

Ramón had been at school when his sister was born. Jake and Carlos had Pooch pick him up from school and stay overnight while they were at the hospital. Luckily, it was a Friday, so the following day, the whole Family (including Bethy who had driven back from her college campus) came to visit. 

* * *

 


	4. Special Occasions, Cooking, Sick Days, and The Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if you have noticed, but my headcanon are strongly influenced by some great Cougar/Jensen writers here on AO3. So if you see something familiar, like you've seen something like it in another work, I probably too have read it and incorporated its canon.

**Special Occasions**

Like I mentioned before, most holidays are spent at the Jensen-Alvarez house, simply because they have the most room. Christmas is usually held in the front living room with the largest tree that can find. Jake ropes Carlos and Pooch into helping him decorate the house for the annual Block Christmas Light Competition. Their house is a six year champion.

Jake also goes a little over the top for Halloween.

Birthdays are held at each respective house.

Fourth of July is usually a Grill-Out in Pooch's backyard. His house is close to the high school which hosts a fireworks display out of the football field. 

The Jensen-Alvarez family also celebrated Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, Nov. 2), to honor Carlos' family heritage.

* * *

 

**Cooking**

Answering the question of who cooks in the house. Who? Both. But both have very different specialities.

Carlos is better at making the full meal. Like, planned out, has flavor and deliciousness kind of meal.

Jake is the best at pancakes. Hands down, the absolute best. Even better than Julie or Jolene (but dont tell them that). He makes the perfectly misshapen kind with the crispy edge all the way around. Jake is also really good at making the "I've had a bad day but this food makes me feel better" food. And you never have to tell him. He just knows and then *poof* you have comfort food.

* * *

 

**Sick Days**

Jake working from home made the kids' sick days relatively easy. 

Ramón got sick more often than Isa, but about as normally as any growing kid.

On sick days, Jake would give his full attention to his child. He would make sure they took their medicine no matter how yucky it tasted (and he knows they were yucky because as a sign of good faith, he would take some as well), and would make them homemade soups. He would wrap them up in blankies is they felt cold and would cuddle with them on the couch, watching cartoons until they both fell asleep.

* * *

 

**The Hat**

Carlos still wears a cowboy hat. The cowboy hat to be precise. Both Ramón and Isa have their own.


	5. The Car Accident

**The Car Accident**

When Ramón was 12 and Isa was about 3, they had gotten into a car accident.

It was a cloudy Monday morning, promising rain for the afternoon. Ramón's school had a late start that day. Usually Carlos would drive Ramón to school on his way to work, but because of the late start and Carlos having to work a program at the library, Jake drove the minivan, with Isa in her car seat in the captain's seat right behind Jake.

Ramón was whining about how he didn't want to go to school, and Isa was being fussy in her car seat. Jake was doing his best to calm them both.

As Jake drove through an intersection, a pick up truck blew the red light and slammed into the driver's side front door. The minivan spun a number of times before coming to a stop.

 

> _There was darkness, and a wailing noise. And an aching in his stomach and shoulder. The wailing noise was getting louder. What was that noise? where was he?_
> 
> _Slowly, Ramón began to put together the last few things he could remember._
> 
> _'They were in the car. They were going to school. Dad was telling him that school wasn't so bad. Isa was being annoying. Then... a truck.'_
> 
> _Ramón opened his eyes with a start and sucked in a deep breath. He immediately regretted it as his stomach and shoulder burned. He made a noise caught between a groan and a whimper._
> 
> _"Ramón?" came Jake's voice from the front seat._
> 
> _"Dad?" Ramón listed his head, slowly, as he looked around the car. The driver's seat looked a mess. There was metal where it shouldn't be and the side window was gone. The front windshield looked almost frosted in the way it had shattered. His dad sat awkwardly, too close to the crumpled metal, scrunched almost. His glasses were missing._
> 
> _"Ramón? Come on. Talk to me."_
> 
> _His dad sounded scared and worried._
> 
> _"Dad? What happened?"_
> 
> _"Hey buddy." Jake said, relief flooding his voice. "I need you to stay calm for me, ok? We've been in a car accident."_
> 
> _"Oh." said Ramón, still dazed.  
> _
> 
> _"Are you hurt?"_
> 
> _"My... my stomach hurts... and my shoulder..."_
> 
> _"Ok, ok... that's probably from your seat belt. Do you taste metal? Like when you suck on a papercut?"_
> 
> _Ramón licked around the inside of his mouth._
> 
> _"No. I don't think so."_
> 
> _"Oh thank God." breathed Jake._
> 
> _"My head hurts..." said Ramón._
> 
> _"You feeling a little bit woozy?"_
> 
> _Ramón paused, taking a little longer to process what his dad had said._
> 
> _"Yeah." he said slowly._
> 
> _"Ok. You probably have a bit of a concussion. Just take everything nice and slow for me. Can you tell me if Isa's ok?"_
> 
> _Slowly Ramón turned his head to look at his sister. Her window was gone too. She was the one making the wailing noise._
> 
> _"She's... crying."_
> 
> _Jake chuckled, huffing out a weary laugh._
> 
> _"Yeah... yeah buddy. I can hear her. How does she look?"_
> 
> _"She's got blood on her face, and her arm looks wonky."_
> 
> _"Ok. Ramón, if you can, nice and slow. Unbuckle yourself and open your door. If it hurts too much, dont push yourself. Its ok if you-"_
> 
> _"Oh god." said a voice, horrified, from outside of Jake's door. A man and woman stood outside the car. The woman was on the phone._
> 
> _"My wife is calling 9-1-1. I'm an EMT, what can I do to help?" said the man._
> 
> _"Help-" Jake sucked in a breath, it sounded shaky._
> 
> _"Help my kids. My son might have a concussion and says his stomach hurts where his seat belt held him in. My daughter-" another breath. "She's probably also got a concussion, head wound, and possible broken arm. I've got their emergency info in my wallet."_
> 
> _"Ok...ok." said the man._
> 
> _"And-" Jake took a third deep breath, letting it out slow to calm himself. "Have your wife tell them... I... I think I'm pinned."_
> 
> _\--------_
> 
> _Carlos stood in the philosophy section, shelving returned books. The Library Resource Scavenger Hunt for the high school students had gone off without a hitch._
> 
> _He heard running feet on the library floor, and tensed as they drew near. Debbie, his coworker at the library, made the turn around the corner of the aisle and jogged up to him._
> 
> _"Carlos, you have a call." she said quickly, while at the same time tried to catch her breath. Carlos raised an eyebrow._
> 
> _"Its the hospital." she continued. "Said it was important."_
> 
> _Carlos thought a moment, and then turned. He hurried to the front desk with Debbie following close behind._
> 
> _"On hold. Line 2." Debbie supplied. Carlos answered the phone._
> 
> _"Hello?'_
> 
> _"Hello. Is this Carlos Jensen-Alvarez?"_
> 
> _"Sí."_
> 
> _"I'm sorry sir. There has been an accident..."_

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fear not my friends! The next chapter is titled, "Scars And Broken Bones, and Recovery"


	6. Scars and Broken Bones, and Recovery

**Scars and Broken Bones**

When Carlos gets to the hospital Ramón and Isa are already out of emergency care. 

Ramón had a minor concussion. He also had a broken collar bone, and some intestinal bruising, but no ruptured organs. Of course, there was also the wicked bruising across his chest and stomach from where his seat belt had kept him in place. 

Isa also had a concussion. Her left arm had been broken and she had a gash on her forehead where the glass had shattered in. She would have a scar of that the rest of her life. A small scar, nearly hidden by her hairline.

Jake, however, is still in surgery. He had been pinned. The entire left side of his body had been injured and broken, along with a broken right knee from being pushed into the center console. But Jake survives. The doctors said that there is some chance that Jake may walk again, but they shouldn't take it as an absolute. 

* * *

 

**Recovery**

It is months before Jake is able to start physical therapy. And then a year of dedicated work before Jake is able to walk on his own without the aid of crutches or a cane. He does have a slight limp for the rest of his life, and sometimes his joints hurt if he overtaxes himself. This is one of the reasons that Jake no longer coaches soccer, but rather sticks to organizing the mothers.

Jake likes to say that his joints can tell the weather.

On rougher nights, when its been a long day and Jake's joints are hurting, Carlos will treat him. He will set up a warm bubble bath for Jake, make sure the kids are squared away for bed while Jake enjoys the warmth seeping into his muscles, and when he is done with the bath, give Jake a massage as he falls asleep. 


	7. Papá (Isa's First Words),  Sibling Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got the inkling to write some more about the Jensen-Alvarez Family, and these are two cute little scenes that I had written a while ago and then recently found again.

**Papá**

You know that adorable video of the little girl standing up to her dad on youtube? This one. [Independence Day (Daddy's Cut)](https://youtu.be/jgEOSSwEsPE) Adorable,no?

 

Well, Carlos would play this game with Isa when she was little. Very little. Like, from the moment she began to move around on her own and make noise. 

Everytime Isa would wander into an area where Carlos would be, or whenever the mood took him (which was often because of the results), he would "chase" Isa as he leaned down to chase her. She would giggle wildly and make a break for it. Carlos would follow and scoop her up and swing her around.

As she got more mobile she would get farther away. Sometimes she would make it all the way to Jake or Ramón, hiding (and I use  _hiding_ loosely) behind them for "protection". Or, in the case of Jake, cling to his pant leg and hide her face (still giggling mind you), like that was going to make Carlos not see her.

> _One day, Jake was in the kitchen and Carlos was folding laundry in the living room. Isa had just finished eating lunch and was standing between the two rooms. Carlos finished up the laundry, adjusted his Hat, and then went for it._
> 
> _"Isa."_
> 
> _Isa throws up her hands and yells, "Papá!"_
> 
> _Carlos is stunned. It was Isa's first word. Papá. Even Jake is stunned, frozen in place as he was putting away the lunch dishes away._
> 
> _Carlos sunk down to his knees, sitting on his feet, in front of Isa, who still had her arms up like she was trying to stop a spooked horse. Carlos was still in awe of the moment._
> 
> _Isa reached out (and up) and put her hands on his cheeks, meeting his eyes. Then she broke out in a super bright smile and gurgled happy nonsense, making both Carlos and Jake laugh._

* * *

 

**Sibling Time**

((This is just a little scene between Isa and Ramón that popped into my head))

 

> _Isa wasn't feeling the best. She wasn't feeling ill or had a headache. She was feeling sad._
> 
> _She wandered into Ramón's room. He sat at his computer desk with what looked like a youtube video playing in one small window, a stream of code in another, and his homework in the third. She shuffled up to the side of his office chair._
> 
> _"Ramón?"_
> 
> _"¿Que?" asked Ramón, without looking at his sister. Isa openned her mouth, but then closed it. She looked down at her hands resting on the arm of the chair._
> 
> _"No se..." ("I don't know...") she said sadly. Ramón glanced down at her._
> 
> _"¿Dame un momento, okay?" ("Give me a moment, ok?")_
> 
> _Isa nodded and shuffled over to Ramón's bed. Gato sat curled up in the middle of the bed, faking sleep. Isa climbed up onto the bed, laying down next to Gato and started to pet the cat._
> 
> _Ramón saved his work and shut down his computer. He got up and shook out his jean pant legs. They tended to get wrinkling and bunched whenever he sat, because he never sat conventionally. His dad's had once described it as seeing a leg pretzel in a chair. He looked over at his sister. She looked depressed. He sighed._
> 
> _"I'll be right back. No toques nada." ("Don't touch anything.") he said, turning back towards the door. Isa raised both hands, staring at them as she laid on her back. Gato meowed discontentedly. Ramón rolled his eyes._
> 
> _"Alright. You can touch Gato."_
> 
> _Isa resumed petting._
> 
> _Ramón came back into the room a few moments later and tossed a bag of gummy worms onto the bed. Gummy worms, the sour ones with the grainy sour sugar coating, were Isa's favorite. There was an unspoken 'Dont tell Dad' between the two when candy was involved._
> 
> _Ramón climbed up onto the bed and laid down on the other side of Gato, his legs dangling off the edge of the bed._
> 
> _"¿Que pasa Issy?" (What's up Issy?)_
> 
> _Isa took a breath to speak again, but then sighed again._
> 
> _They both ate some gummy worms in silence. Gato sniffed the bag curiously, then shuffled back._
> 
> _Finally, Isa spoke._
> 
> _"Boy at school... he... was mean to me."_
> 
> _Ramón munched on another gummy worm, and waited. It was something Dad did when you would try to tell him something difficult. He wouldn't look at you too hard and wouldn't hide his eyes behind his Hat. Just wait._
> 
> _"He... he said I was weird..." Isa sniffed. "He called me a freak..." Isa rolled over and hid her face in the blankets._
> 
> _"You want me to beat him up?" Ramón asked._
> 
> _"No," came the muffled reply._
> 
> _"M'Kay."_
> 
> _They waited in silence for a short while longer._
> 
> _"I just wanted to be his friend..."_
> 
> _Ramón chose his words carefully before speaking._
> 
> _"You want to know a secret Issy?"_
> 
> _"What?" It was still muffled so it came out as more of a "Whuuuh..."_
> 
> _Ramòn turned onto his side to face her._
> 
> _"I gotta see your face to tell you."_
> 
> _Isa picked up her head, pushing her brown-blonde hair out of her face. She perked up in interest._
> 
> _"Now, you've got to promise me that you'll keep the secret. You can't tell another soul. Ever. ¿Comprende?" ("Understand?")_
> 
> _Isa quickly stuck out her pinky and promised._
> 
> _"¿Qué es?" ("What is it?")_
> 
> _"Boys..." Ramon whispered, "... are all super stupid."_
> 
> _Isa rolled her eyes exaggeratedly._
> 
> _"Ramón! I know that!"_
> 
> _"What?!" Ramón faked shock._
> 
> _"Everybody knows that!"_

* * *

 


	8. HELP!! [[Temporary Post, Not Part of Story]]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plea for help

Hi y'all.   
I've been having a great time writing about the Jensen-Alvarez Family. And I promise there is more to come.   
But, I have a problem. I need more ideas of stuff to write about them.   
So I'm calling out all of you who have enjoyed this piece so far. Comment and tell me what you'd like to know about the Family. About the immediate Jensen-Alvarez family, about the kids, Jake, Carlos, the Pooches, Julie, or Bethy. Ask me anything. Stuff that you want clarified from the piece or stuff you want to know that hasnt been covered yet. From their favorite colors to musical instruments, to deeper stuff.   
I want to know what you want to know.   
So please.  
Help a Loser out and let me satisfy your curiosity and make this piece even more fun.

Love,

Ulrikavolf16


	9. Halloween Costumes, Hide and Seek, Languages, and Outfits

**Halloween Costumes**

So, you know how I mentioned that Jake likes to go a little over the top for Halloween? I thought you would like to know some of the family costumes that the Jensen-Alvarez quad has gone through over the years. 

1\. _The Three Musketeers_

This one was from when Ramón was still an only child. And it was Jake's first more detailed creations. And yes, each of them wore tights and the big feathery hats. Ramón thought his eye-liner mustache was so cool. He was, like, 5, so of course he thought he looked cool. Mustaches are cool. So cool, in fact, that Ramón tried to draw a mustache on himself after Halloween... with his own marker... ... ... Puppy, who thought the mustache looked cool too, helped...

2\. _The Princess Bride_

Isa was Princess Buttercup, Jake was Wesley, Carlos was Inigo Montoya, Ramón was Prince Humperdinck, Puppy was Count Rugen, Pooch was Fezzik, Jolene was Valerie, Julie was Miracle Max (because why not), and Bethy was Vizzini (also because why not).

3\. _The Book of Life_

Ramón was Joaquin, Isa was Maria, Carlos was Manolo, and Jake was Chuy

4\. _The Power Rangers (the Original Power Rangers)_

Jake was the Blue Ranger, Ramón (who picked this years costume) was the Red Ranger, Isa was the Yellow Ranger, and Carlos was the Black Ranger.

5\. _Alice in Wonderland_

The one year when Ramón decided that he was too old for trick or treating. He was 14. Isa guilted him into going with them next year (and secretly he had missed going with them)

Isa was Alice, Jake was The Madhatter, and Carlos was The White Rabbit

It was the one and only time that he wore white skinny jeans, even though Jake said his ass looked exquisite in them. The pants mysteriously got a huge chocolate stain on the leg the next morning.

6\. _The Avengers_

Jake was NOT Captain America. Ramón was. Jake was Thor. Puppy was Iron Man. Bethy was Black Widow. Carlos was Hawkeye. Pooch was Fury. Isa was the little known but still kick butt awesome Squirrel Girl.

7\. _The Wizard of Oz_

Carlos was the Scarecrow, Ramón was the Tinman, and... (drum roll please)... Dorothy was Jake! 

Isa didn't want to be Dorothy, she wanted to be the Lion. So Jake stepped in to be Dorothy. 

He found fabric that matched the blue checker pattern of Dorothy's dress in the movie and made overalls. He found bright red converse and added red glitter. He even let Isa put a bow clip in his hair. 

 

_They NEVER did Army. Ever._

* * *

**Hide and Seek**

As a small child, Ramón liked to play hide and seek. Except, like most small children, he often liked to hide in the most obvious places available. 

* * *

 

**Languages**

Both Ramón and Isa are bilingual, at the very least. By this I mean that they speak both English and Spanish fluently. Jake is also fluent in Spanish despite joking that he wasn't for years to the team. The kids also know a number of phrases from other languages. They know them because they are phrases that Jake and Carlos know from being in the service. 

Ramón has actually expanded his list to include: Italian, French, German, some Russian and a dabbling of Mandarin. (Remember, this kid is wicked smart)

Isa is fond of using the French and Russian phrases she has learned over the years. 

* * *

 

**Outfits**

_Isa_

Isa likes to wear colorful outfits. She had plenty of graphic tees (her favorite is a long sleeve white t-shirt that has "Be yourself. Unless you can be a Unicorn. Always be a Unicorn." She picks out her own clothing and usually sways toward colorful, eccentric, and most importantly, comfortable.

She does have a rainbow tutu.

_Ramón_

Ramón tends to wear more comfortable than trendy. You will never see him wearing a pair of super skinny jeans. He has a collection of graphic tees as well, all classy. He likes jeans, comfortable shoes,a t-shirt or a Henley, and sometimes a flannel if its starting to get cold. 

* * *

 


	10. Clay's Absence, and PTSD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written in response to Mnemmy's submission.  
> Please continue submitting things you wish to know about the Jensen-Alvarez Family in the comment section.
> 
> Just a heads up, this chapter was a bit difficult for me to write because of the emotions it invoked. Please be warned that this chapter is angsty, emotional, and makes mention of PTSD.

**Clay's Absence**

After Roque's betrayal Clay became more and more obsessed with finding Max. Like Ahab trying to catch the white whale. And he kept getting closer and closer to Aisha, who kept pushing Clay harder and harder to find Max and get their (and more importantly, her) revenge. And it was pushing the team away.

He became reckless and putting their lives at risk, beyond what was considered normal for the Losers. Clay ceased to care.

> _They were arguing over the plan. It was a shitty plan. Too many uncontrollable variables. Too risky. Not enough solid intel, and not enough time for Jensen to verify what little they have._
> 
> _Even for the Losers, it was a plan that wouldn’t work._
> 
> _It was the breaking point._
> 
> _"This plan sucks ass Clay." said Pooch, trying to keep the tone of his voice in control. "And we are all going to end up dead, because you cannot get your head out of your ass and see how fucked up this is-"_
> 
> _"I don't give a shit, Pooch!" yelled Clay. "We are so close to taking him down."_
> 
> _"Woah, Colonel! What the hell! That wasn’t nice." interjected Jensen from his computer, but neither man was listening. Cougar stood by Jensen's table, tensed with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the proceedings. Aisha was gone, doing whatever the hell that she did._
> 
> _"Oh? You don't give a shit anymore?" said Pooch, his control slipping as his voice raised. "Well gee Clay, that aint something new."_
> 
> _"I've had enough of you questioning me soldier-"_
> 
> _"We are not soldiers!" shouted Pooch, cutting off Clay. The room fell into dead silence._
> 
> _"We're… we're not." Pooch said quietly, his voice shaking._
> 
> _"We are men. Trying to get home to our families." Pooch continued. "And I've nearly had it with this bullshit."_
> 
> _With that Pooch left the room. Jensen quickly stood and followed after with a soft, pleading, "Pooch."_
> 
> _Clay sat down in one of the chairs at the table and ran a hand over his face, looking like he felt old._
> 
> _"He's right." said Cougar quietly. Clay looked up at him, but didn't speak. When Cougar, who rarely spoke, chose to voice his opinion, you listened._
> 
> _"We cannot keep doing this. And we wont." Cougar uncrossed his arms and moved to the table. He leaned down onto it with his hands flat against the tabletop._
> 
> _"You are not thinking clearly. This is a bad plan. We will not do it. Come up with a new one." he said plainly. Clay couldn’t meet Cougar's eye. The sniper was right. Cougar waited until Clay consented to nod in response._
> 
> _"I will talk to them." said Cougar. "Try to get them to stay and see this through."_
> 
> _"Jensen wants out too?" asked Clay._
> 
> _"And me." Cougar added. Clay didn’t respond, the gravity of Cougar wanting out had hit him into silence._
> 
> _"When this is over," Cougar continued. "When we have proven our innocence and Max is taken down or dead. We will leave. And you will leave. And I will never want to see you again."_

And that is exactly what they did.

When all of Max's secrets were revealed, his organization left in ruins, and his body left in pieces, they left. Carlos, Jake, and Pooch took The Family and moved. Jake erased the trail connecting Point A to Point B and created an intricate bogus trail that led from Point A to Point X to Point Y to Point Z. In addition to the new addresses, Jake got them new phone numbers, email accounts, credit cards, anything old that could be replaced was. He also set up cyber warning and security systems that would alert him if anyone was searching for them too hard.

Even through all they had been through together, Clay was not welcome in their new life. And Clay, though it was painful, understood, and respected their decision and didn’t try to interfere with their lives after they left.

Last time Jake checked up on Clay, for curiosity's sake a few years back, Clay had been welcomed back into the US Army as drill instructor.

Before Max had been killed, the trio had taken Aisha aside to talk. They had told her their intention to leave after it was all over and made a deal with her. When it was done, they would never look for her nor aid anyone who was, anything they had on her would be destroyed, she would be allowed to disappear and would essentially never have existed to them. And in return, she would treat them in kind. Almost as soon as Max's body had gone cold, Aisha had been in the wind.

They never saw her again.

 

((END NOTES: This may not be the end of The Family/Clay relationship. Im thinking of things… give me time.))

* * *

**PTSD**

They all have something.

Jake has trouble with being crowded and the obnoxious amount of fireworks that go off on the Fourth of July. He can handle the bright flashes and the sudden color. But it’s the gut thudding booms of the larger professional ordinances and the snap-crack-booms of the smaller rockets and fireworks and that the sound is coming from everywhere. It reminds Jake too much of a war zone. And its tough for him because the kids absolutely love fireworks. So Jake would try to push through it. Ramón finally noticed it when he was 10, and Isa was 2.

> _It was the Fourth of July of course. They were at the Porteous house for the holiday barbeque like they had every year that Ramón could remember. The sun had gone down and the local high school firework show was underway. Ramón was sitting with Puppy and his Dad (Carlos) who was holding Isa._
> 
> _Fireworks boomed and glowed from the high school's display above them and flashed and cracked from the neighborhood around them. Isa was as mesmerized as the two boys were, laughing and clapping at the bright show._
> 
> _Out of the corner of his eye, Ramón saw his Dad (Jake) suddenly bolt up from his lawn chair and hurry to the house, looking agitated. Carlos and Pooch saw him go and quickly stood. Carlos passed Isa over to Julie and went to the house with Pooch following. They didn’t come back soon enough to satisfy Ramón's curiosity. So he got up and went into the house looking for his dads._
> 
> _He found them and Uncle Pooch in the basement bathroom. Jake sat on the floor of the bathroom with his back against the wall, his knees pulled up to his chest. Carlos had sat down beside him and had pulled Jake's head to his shoulder and was whispering to him, trying to sooth him, running his fingers through Jake's hair._
> 
> _"Everything is ok. We are safe. We are home. You are safe."_
> 
> _Uncle Pooch stood farther back from them, letting them have space but being there all the same._
> 
> _"Dad?" said Ramón timidly. All three men looked at him, surprised to see him there. Jake's face was red and his eyes were wet. Jake quickly wiped his eyes and put his glasses back on. He held out his arm for Ramón and Ramón went to him, sitting next to him and giving him a hug._
> 
> _They didn't talk about it right away. It was nearly three days later when Ramón breached the subject with Carlos. He was afraid that he would upset Jake if he asked him about it. And even with Carlos, he was hesitant._
> 
> _"The sounds of the fireworks made your father remember some very scary things that he has gone through in his life." Carlos said gently._
> 
> _And that was that. Until New Year's Eve. That night, about 15 minutes before midnight, Ramón slipped up to the adult's table and tried to discretely tug on Jake's sleeve. Of course the other adults noticed but they didn’t make a big deal about it._
> 
> _"What's up my man?" asked Jake. Ramón pressed a small paper wrapped packet into Jake's hand, looking hesitant and worried._
> 
> _"Dad. The fireworks."_
> 
> _Jake opened the packet to reveal a pair of ear plugs from Pooch's stash of extras in the garage. Jake swallowed and smiled, both sadly and sweetly at Ramón._
> 
> _"Thank you buddy."_

Now, for Fourth of July, Jake sits in the grass with Carlos at his back, his arms wrapped around Jake protectively, and wears noise cancelling headphones.

Carlos sometimes gets over protective of the kids, like they are going to disappear or something bad is going to happen. He watches them intently and sometimes has to reassure himself that they are actually there (light patting their head, or brushing past them). He goes over every defense system in the house (security system, sightlines, checking the doors, discretely watching the neighbors for threats) and it is the times when he will take the guns about the house into the basement and clean them meticulously. He's afraid that the kids are going to be taken away… violently… and given the Losers' experience… well…

 

In the beginning, right after Max and finally reuniting The Family, Pooch had been hit the hardest. He was, and sometimes still is, afraid that he isnt going to be there. This came from not being with his wife for a long time, missing most of her pregnancy, having her think that he was dead, nearly actually getting killed, and nearly missing the birth of his son. So, sometimes (to teenage Puppy at least), it can seem like Pooch is suffocating in his attempt to make sure that he is present for every part of his son's and wife's (and The Family's) life.

They do not go to their local VA for group. I mean, they do because they were soldiers and they know what it was like and they can relate to the other vets. But they don’t. Because they weren't just soldiers like everyone else at the VA. They were Spec Ops, and they cant relate to the others because they are like a separate entity, a whole different creature that doesn’t belong. And there is still some stigma about the Bolivia Incident.

They go to group therapy, all three of them together. They also have individualized care, but by their permission, their therapists are allowed to converse with each other about them. Something they had to work through as a group when it was all over was abandonment and trust issues outside of The Family (because of Roque's betrayal and Clay's banishment, which was in its own way caused by a betrayal), and then also getting themselves out of the soldier-unit mentality. That they aren't fighting anymore. Their names have been cleared, there are no more threats, and they are safe. That they don’t have to be tough or strong or perfect all the time. They can accept and show that they have weaknesses and flaws. A difficulty they had as a group was coming clean with all their fears and faults to each other. That they can be human again.

* * *

 


	11. Hit-Ons and Homewreckers, Family Ties, and Eggshell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised, a new chapter. I've kept it to lighter topics this time and I hope they make you giggle.
> 
> These three sections were inspired, once again, by Mnemmy.
> 
> Lovely, PewterGrayWolf, your section is coming up next. I have so many ideas for them and cant wait to get down to it.

**Hit-Ons and Homewreckers**

They certainly have been hit on before, but it never phased them because Jake and Carlos are just too into each other. They are just polite and respectfully decline advances and offers that come their way.

Jake has been hit on by women in the supermarket while shopping with Isa in the cart. Carlos has been hit on while taking a jog with Ramón in the stroller through the park. They have been hit on while they have been together. Usually it is women and mothers. It has only been a guy a couple of times.

There have been times when the person hitting on them just didn’t take the hint. So they would have to make it perfectly clear to them, from simply stating that they are attached and have no intention of looking anywhere else, to being sickeningly adorable and openly affectionate.

Jake likes to joke that Carlos, who is bi while Jake is gay, is actually Jensen-sexual. Carlos just smirks but doesn’t disagree.

* * *

**Family Ties**

Does Carlos have any family outside of the Losers? Yes.

Carlos' mother, Lucia, lives in the small town where she grew up in Mexico. Lucia had married Carlos' father when they were both very young. Carlos was born in the US a number of years after the Alvarez' had moved to the US. After her husband died, Lucia, now old and feeling homesick, moved back to live with her childhood friend back in Mexico. This had been before the Bolivia Incident.

After Max and when Ramón was still little (before Isa was born), Carlos reached out and reconnected with his mother.

They visit her every Winter Break in Mexico. She absolutely loves her grandchildren. And, she loves Jake like her own son as well.

 

* * *

  **Eggshell**

What was the stupidest argument they've had? Over the walls of Ramón's nursery. Carlos had just finished painting the three of the walls. Jake was furious. Why? Because he thought it was Eggshell white, and that was much too white. Carlos was supposed to get something softer, something not so harsh because a harsh white will bounce light and hurt the baby’s eyes. Soft and calm, that was the point of the room. Carlos denied that it was eggshell and that it was the color that Jake ordered from the store. And that the argument ensued.

 

> _“No. No. No no no no noooo.... This is eggshell! Why did you get eggshell?”_
> 
> _“Not eggshell. S’what you ordered.”_
> 
> _“No. This is wrong, all wrong. This is eggshell. Its wrong and it’ll throw off the whole tone of the room and the baby’s going to hate it.”_
> 
> _“Not eggshell.”_
> 
> _“Pooch! Poochman come in here!” shouted Jake from the nursery._
> 
> _“What?” asked Pooch as he hurried into the room._
> 
> _“Pooch, what color is that?” asked Jake, pointing to the freshly painted wall before them. Pooch took a moment to consider the wall with a confused look._
> 
> _“Umm.... white?” said Pooch, posing it more as a question than an answer._
> 
> _“No Poochman. Its not white. Its eggshell!” said Jake._
> 
> _“Not Eggshell!” growled Carlos. Pooch looked cautiously between the two._
> 
> _“I… I don't… really get… there’s a difference?”_
> 
> _“Yes Pooch! There is a difference! Its supposed to be Cotton Tail which goes with the Apple Green and the La Paloma Gray! Cotton Tail is softer, less harsh and works. Eggshell is sharp and bright and will bounce light right into the baby’s eyes and burn out his corneas!”_
> 
> _“Why don’t you just paint the room blue. I mean, we know its a boy.” asked Pooch. Carlos rolled his eyes. It had been a conversation they had spent hours on the day before._
> 
> _“Heathens! I’m surrounded by heathens! I’m not having it blue and unneccesarily gender my poor child. Like, what if ‘ **he’s** ’ not a boy and I’m forcing ‘ **him** ’ to be something ‘ **he’s** ’ not? Similar to how this is not what I ordered. It’s not Cotton Tail. It’s mother-freaking-eggshell!”_
> 
> _“Madre de Dios! ITS NOT EGGSHELL!” ("Mother of God!")_
> 
> _"Hey guys. What's going on here? I could pracctically hear you from outside." asked Julie, who was four months pregnant with Ramón at the time, came into the room with Jolene. They looked at all three men standing in the partially painted room. Jake and Carlos stood apart from each other, both looking flustered and angry. Jake was frazzled and Carlos breathed heavily through his nose, both had frowns._
> 
> _"Julie!" said Jake quickly. "The color is all wrong! Carlos got the wrong color for the main walls of the room. Its eggshell. And its going to look horrible-"_
> 
> _"Por última vez, no es la cáscara del huevo. Obtén que a través de su cabeza estúpido-" ("For the last time, it is not eggshell. Get that through your stupid head-") Carlos began to say over Jake in rapid, growly Spanish._
> 
> _"I would say that it is a lovely creme, like fresh milk." said Julie, cutting them both off. "And once you put up the green and gray and get everything into the room, it will look perfect. Just imagine it. The crib and the stuffed animals."_
> 
> _Jake looked around the room, Carlos doing the same._
> 
> _"You... you think so?" asked Jake tentatively, suddenly sounding smaller and a bit tired._
> 
> _"Yes. It will be wonderful and this baby will love it." said Julie. Carlos nodded his agreement._
> 
> _"Jake, when was the last time you slept? You seem tired?" asked Julie. She had seen her brother get combative and stubborn and downright bitchy when he was sleep deprived._
> 
> _"Um... well... I mean I did grab that quick nap...." Julie gave him a look she gave Bethy when the girl wasnt telling her what she needed to know. "48 hours ago." Jake provided with a sigh._
> 
> _"Go take a nap Jakey. A nice long one ok?"_
> 
> _"But the room-"_
> 
> _"The room will be here when you wake up. Go take your nap. You need one."_
> 
> _Jake gave in after that. Too easily for Julie's liking, another sign that he was tired. Any other time he would stick it out and make a general pain of himself, but Julie, his older sister by two minutes and who was carrying he and his husband's child for them, held more power over him than any torture or imprisonment could ever have. Jake shuffled out of the room and made a b-line for his and Carlos' bedroom._
> 
> _"Carlos?" continued Julie, using just the man's name to convey the question. Carlos didnt answer, he also didn’t meet her eyes and had a guilty expression._
> 
> _"Alright. Go wash up, put on some fresh clothes, and take a nice long nap." Carlos looked down as if he was just noticing the paint he had gotten on his shirt, jeans, and body in general._
> 
> _"Will you be alright? What if you need something?" asked Carlos, slightly worried that both of them might be checked out if Julie needed their help._
> 
> _"You forget that I've done this before honey." Julie said with a smile. "Now off to bed Mister."_
> 
> _The trio who remained in the nursery waited until the door closed before speaking._
> 
> _"Oh man, they got it bad. Pre-baby stress." said Pooch, grinning. Jolene nodded with a 'Mmm-hmm'._
> 
> _"Let's get out of the house. Give them space and quiet. .... Ice cream. I really want some vanilla ice cream right now." said Julie. "Its the room I swear. Makes me want vanilla."_
> 
> _Jolene laughed._
> 
> _"Lady with the Baby makes the decisions. And I am not going to complain about this one." she said, walking over and joining arms with Julie as they left the room (and subsequently the house) with Pooch in tow._
> 
> _When Jolene was sure they were out of earshot, she whispered to Julie._
> 
> _"You know that was eggshell right?"_
> 
> _"And we will take that to our graves."_

 

* * *

 


	12. A Multitude of Spoken Words pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I would love to see their language skills come to play."  
> Sumbitted by: PewterGreyWolf
> 
> Hey guys. Sorry it took forever and a half to post this next chapter. Life happens. 
> 
> And this chapter kind of ran away from me, so now its going to be in two parts (as far as I know).  
> Enjoy!

**Part 1**

As stated before, the Jensen-Alvarez family speaks a lot of languages. Both children are bilingual, speaking Spanish and English fluently. And yes, Jake does speak Spanish fluently. Usually in the Jensen-Alvarez house, Spanish and English flow into one. They will start a sentence in one language and finish in another, or interject words from the other language, or just give up entirely on one language for a day and use the other. A question or comment can be given in one language, and the response would be given in the other, the conversation flopping back and forth between English and Spanish depending on who is talking.

Ramón also speaks Italian, French, German, some Russian, and dabbles in Mandarin. Isa for the most part has stuck to Spanish and English, but she is quickly learning French and likes to use some Russian phrases that Ramón taught her.

There was one time when Ramón was 7 (Isa hadn’t been born yet), where being bilingual really came in handy for him. Carlos, Jake, and Ramón had gone to Mexico to visit Carlos’ mother Lucia. And Ramón got lost at the park…

(Please forgive my potentially sh*tty Spanish. I haven't taken classes in years and I used Google Translate for the most of it. If you know Spanish and feel like correcting me, please go ahead.)

 

> _Marta sat on the park bench watching the children play. Going to the park on Sundays before evening mass was a family tradition she had started with her daughter many years ago. Her daughter at the moment was socializing with the other moms who frequented the park on Sunday afternoons, and her granddaughter, Cecilia, was playing with the other children on the play structure._
> 
> _Marta enjoyed sitting out in the sun, watching the children play. It had been a very long time since she had been able to play with Cecilia, but enjoyed seeing her so happy to run about. As she watched Cecilia swing across the monkey bars a young boy approached her and addressed her. He was crying._
> 
> _“Abuela,” the boy sniffled. “¿me puedes ayudar?” (“Grandma, can you help me?)_
> 
> _“¿Por qué lloras mi niño? ¿Lo que está mal?” (“Why are you crying my child? What is wrong?”) Marta said gently. The boy had dark curly hair and blue eyes that were watery. He was wearing shorts on the warm day, and Marta could see that he had a scraped knee._
> 
> _“Estábamos visitando mi abuela y ella estaba tomando una siesta tan padre y yo llegamos al parque a jugar y estaba jugando con los otros niños y me caí de la escalera y heridos mi rodilla.” (“We were visiting my grandma and she was taking a nap so dad and I came to the park to play and I was playing with the other children and I fell off the ladder and hurt my knee.”) said the child shyly, speeding over his words. He paused to take a breath._
> 
> _“Así que me fui a buscar a mi padre para que pudiera besarla mejor y darme una curita pero no sé a dónde fue y no puedo encontrar lo..” (“So I went to find my dad to kiss it better and give me a band-aid but I don’t know where he went and I can’t find him.”)_
> 
> _The child hiccupped as he took a breath, tears slipping down his cheeks. He was tugging on the bottom on his striped shirt nervously. Marta wanted to give him a hug to comfort him. But he was scared and Marta didn’t want to frighten him further._
> 
> _“Mis papás dijeron que si me perdí entonces debo encontrar una mamá o una abuela y me gustaría ayudar.” (“My dads said that if I got lost then I should find a mom or a grandma and they would help me.”)_
> 
> _“Sí. Te ayudaré. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?” (“Yes. I will help you. What is you name?”) asked Marta with a gentle smile._
> 
> _“Ramón.”_
> 
> _“Mi nombre es Marta. Ramón, encontraremos a tu padre.” (“My name is Marta. Ramón, let’s find your father.”)_
> 
> _“Ok…”_
> 
> _“¿Dónde la última vez que lo vio?” (“Where did you last see your dad?”)_
> 
> _“Llegamos por el vendedor churro ... el que está con los globos azules.” (“We came in by the churro vendor… the one with the blue balloons.”)_
> 
> _“Muy bien. ¿Por qué no empezamos a caminar de esa manera y ver si podemos encontrarlo?” (“Alright. Why don’t we start walking that way and see if we can find him?”)_
> 
> _Marta stood with a small groan. She had been sitting too long and her joints ached because of it. Ramón quickly took her hand, which startled Marta at first, but she smiled and let him hold on. They began walking towards the other side of the park._
> 
> _“¿Cómo es tu padre?” (“What is your father like?”) asked Marta._
> 
> _“Es alto y grande, pero él no es gordo.” (“He is tall and big, but he’s not fat.”) Marta giggled at this._
> 
> _“Él es rubia, tiene una barba en el mentón, y tiene gafas redondas.” (“He’s blonde, has a beard on his chin, and has round glasses.”) said Ramón as he looked about. He had stopped crying as he described his father._
> 
> _“¿Cúal es su nombre?” (“What is his name?”) asked Marta._
> 
> _“Jake!”_
> 
> _“¿Eso es la abreviatura de Jacob?” (“Is that short for Jacob?”)_
> 
> _“Sí. Jacob Jensen-Alvarez. Esa es mi apellido. Jensen-Alvarez. Mi abuela, ella es la madre de mi otro papá. Ella es de aquí en México. Pero la familia de mi padre es de New Hampshire.” (“Yes. Jacob Jensen-Alvarez. That’s my last name. Jensen-Alvarez. My grandma, she’s my other dad’s mom. She’s from here in Mexico. By my dad’s family is from New Hampshire.”)_
> 
> _“Eso está en los Estados Unidos, ¿no?” (“That is in the United States, no?”)_
> 
> _“Sí.” said Ramón. He began to jabber on about his family while they looked._
> 
> _“Ramón! Ramón! ¿Dónde estás?” (“Ramón! Ramón! Where are you?”) came a shout over the noise of the children playing._
> 
> _Ramón and Marta looked up and saw a tall blonde standing on top of one of the benches, looking around frantically._
> 
> _“Dad!” shouted Ramón in response. The blonde turned towards the shout and his face lite up._
> 
> _“Ramón!” The blonde leapt off the bench. Ramón let go of Marta’s hand and met the bonde halfway. The boy was scooped up in big arms and hugged tightly._
> 
> _“Oh buddy. You scared me big time. I was so worried.” said Jake, Marta presumed, as he held onto his son. Ramón held on just as tightly._
> 
> _“Me alegro de que te encontramos.” (“I am glad we found you.”) said Marta. Jake looked at her confused at first._
> 
> _“Dad, this is Marta. Ella me ayudó a encontrarte.” (“She helped me find you.”) filled in Ramón. Jake smiled._
> 
> _“Gracias. Muchas gracias. No puedo agradecerle lo suficiente.”(“Thank you. Thank you so much. I cannot thank you enough.”)_

 


End file.
